The Scorpion or The Grasshopper
by August Mayhem
Summary: "The scorpion or the grasshopper.  One means yes, the other means no.  One is life, the other, death.  This is your choice."  Jan Di has to choose between two men.  Both are her sacrifice, but one way means a life can be saved.


Posted: Mon. April 4, 2011

Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the plot variation. Should there ever be additional chapters, this disclaimer is continuous for them as well.

**.x.**

His arms wrapped around her, swamping her in their fold. She froze at the sudden contact. Words washed over her, husky and quiet, cloaking the true meaning.

"Give it up sunbae! From the very beginning you didn't fit with him, you know that. Come to me, we understand each other. We're members of the same world, you and I, sunbae."

The girl pushed the taller figure away from her. Dark eyes continued their piercing stare, a deeper meaning hiding in them, unseen by an innocent mind.

He kept trying to persuade her to his side. She kept refusing. Actions always spoke louder than words anyway. He lunged forward, her head in his hands, his own tilted to slant his lips on hers.

Pushed away again. Try again. Pushed away a third time. The slap was new.

Dark eyes were unfathomable as he stared at her, regret barely visible in his body.

"You'll regret it. Get a hold of yourself."

Beautiful brown eyes looked at him with distaste. She turned to leave. He let her. For now.

His socks allowed him to move silently behind her. A chloroformed cloth was pressed against her mouth and nose, tightly clasped until her body went limp and together they slid to the floor.

"I said you'd regret it. I warned you." His words were soaked in regret.

**.x.**

Eyes opened slowly and what she saw was blurry darkness. Not true darkness, but darkness enough to require some help to see. Two forms were shown in the flickering radiance of a fire. A tall figure came in from the side and the two bodies left.

"You look like you want to talk sunbae." Slim fingers pulled the tape off her mouth. It was done surprisingly gently.

"Why are you doing this?"

Shadows danced across his handsome face. Hair styled as Ha Je. He wasn't Jae Ha any more.

"Why…? I wanted revenge against Goo Jun Pyo I suppose. Though until recently it wasn't within my reach."

A harsh chuckle fell from his throat as he sat on the chair backwards, facing her. Mocking her, as his arms crossed on the top of the chair back.

"Why? Who ordered you to do this?" She struggled against her bonds. They kept her tied tight to the chair. She knew it was useless, but fought anyway. She had to.

"It's kind of funny actually." She stopped her efforts. "He lost his girlfriend to me, because of me. But the best part about it? His mother is the one behind everything. All the choices were mine to make, but she put me on the path. Paid me even, to separate the two of you. And I have. Now I get my revenge on her son, for what he and his friends did to my brother."

Jan Di stared at him in horrified silence. She knew the woman hated her and would gladly do anything to keep the_ weed _from her son, but never thought it would escalate to this magnitude.

"His mother…? The one who ordered you to do this to us, to me, was Goo Jun Pyo's _mother_?"

A dark smirk crossed his features. "I just want my revenge, for my sweet brother, Min Ha." He turned to look at her, a pensive look on his face. "But while getting closer to you sunbae…If you had just come to me, I even thought that I didn't need revenge. I really did…"

Worry filled brown eyes as they stared her kidnapper. What was going to happen to her? To Goo Jun Pyo?

The younger student shrugged his thoughts off. "But you rejected my proposal. Had you agreed, I'd have given half of the money to you. I know your family is in trouble. Shame isn't it? You could have helped them. You should have been nicer sunbae. Now my only goal is Goo Jun Pyo."

Voices and sounds of a scuffle permeated the room and Jae Ha stood. Three guys entered, Goo Jun Pyo between them.

"Guem Jan Di!" He tried to run to her, but they held him back. Still, he struggled against their hold until they came in front of Jae Ha and his prisoner.

"Guem Jan Di! Are you alright? Nothing happened right?"

"Why did you come you idiot? What the hell were you thinking?"

He blinked, shocked at her anger when he had come her to rescue her. Stupid commoner. Did she think he did this for anyone? Ungrateful brat.

"Did you confirm it?"

Apparently they were being ignored.

"Yes, he came alone."

Ha Je turned his attention to the man who destroyed his brother's life. Hatred swelling in his eyes.

"Not afraid of anything are you? Today's your fucking funeral."

"Let the girl go." The bastard didn't even look at him, just kept staring at his girlfriend.

"You're about to die, and still you try to act cool," he tsk'd. "I can't allow that. You'll be bloodied and unable to move even a finger, all because of one person. Don't you think the lead actress should watch such a scene with her eye wide open?"

Jan Di looked up at him, shock and hate easily seen in her countenance. He ignored her. She didn't want him, so Plan B it was.

"Go ahead and start."

Smirks crossed their faces and blows were rained down upon the unresisting form of Goo Jun Pyo. Kicks, punches, jabs, knees, elbows, anything was used, even pieces of wood.

Jae Ha stared dispassionately as his cohorts passed his enemy between them, lashing out at him until he collapsed on the floor. So they kicked him some more, bruising his ribs, kicking his head, stepping on joints so they pulled awkwardly.

Dirt covered his clothes from the shoes and rolling around on the ground, trying to protect himself. Open wounds spilled bright blood across his face and it trickled down onto his clothing.

"Stop it! Let him go, stop!"

Her cries were ignored, her pleas unheeded. And still they beat him. He would try to get back up and they would kick him back down. It drove a knife into her heart to watch this scene play out. He was different now, than what Jae Ha remembered him as. He didn't deserve this!

"Stop! Save us." The last part was whimpered. Unsure if she meant herself, or him, or both of them, but her heart cried out and she said what came to mind.

Jae Ha paused, glanced at her tear-stained face and looked back at gang beating.

"Stop."

They stopped. Jun Pyo struggled upright, balancing on one elbow and pushing with his hand. Blood dribbled from his mouth to the floor, scrapes evident on his cheek, bruises beginning to form around his eye and temple.

"Does it hurt?" Obviously it did, but the words were meant to be patronizing.

Jun Pyo attempted to stand but fell before he could even get halfway upright, the blows to his head negatively affecting his sense of balance. His ear turned towards him as if he could hear a sound but couldn't pin point the origin.

"Why don't you beg for your life?"

Though the aim was slightly off, the glare was definitely intended for him.

"Go fuck yourself."

"I'd rather not. Alright, you won't beg for your life. And beating you when you simply accept it without trying to fight back isn't really any fun. How about you beg for her life?"

He walked behind Jan Di and leaned down, one arm on her shoulder, the other cupping her cheek.

"Would you beg for her life? Isn't she worth it? I can tell you right now, no one but you will miss her. Give her up Goo Jun Pyo."

Dark eyes widened at the new possibility. His fear was blatantly shown.

A dark smile crossed full lips. "Yes, it's easy to bear pain when it's afflicted upon you, for someone else. But to watch someone else bear your pain, that's harder isn't it? Still think you should mouth off to me?"

He stood and grabbed the empty chair.

"Say you'll give her up!"

Yelling, he raised it in the air, and slammed it down on Goo Jun Pyo's shoulders and back. The plutocrat dropped like a mayfly, his head taking another beating as it smacked cold concrete. Wearily he tried to raise himself and shook his head, he would not give her up!

"No stop it! Leave him alone!"

Jae Ha hauled Jun Pyo up by his hair and forced him to look at Jan Di, his face badly beaten, rivers of wet blood glinting in the fire's light.

"Or maybe we should make her choose, hmm? What would Guem Jan Di do to save Goo Jun Pyo?"

He sneered and yanked curly black hair, so Jun Pyo's head was tilted to look at him, eye hazy after being hit around the head so much.

"Looks like you aren't much of a boyfriend after all. You don't trust her when she's with another guy, you banish her when you don't get your way, can't understand when she chooses friends she's known for years over you. You couldn't even protect her! I did that, me! And now, when you tried to save her, she has to save you."

He spat on a bloodied cheek. "Pathetic." Shoving the beaten teen, Jae Ha towered over Jan Di as she looked up at him from her chair.

"So now the decision comes to you Guem Jan Di. The scorpion or the grasshopper. One means yes, the other means no. One is life, the other, death. This is your choice. You can stay with Goo Jun Pyo," the name was spat out like venom, "Or you can come with me and be my girlfriend."

Closing her mouth, her lips thinned. Brown eyes sparked her hate and answered better than any verbal response ever could.

It didn't make her feel better when he just smirked at her. One hand in his pocket, Jae Ha bent at the waist, the second cupping her cheek. Jan Di jerked her head from his hold, getting ready to spit at him.

The smirk turned down at the corners and a decidedly darker feel emanated from the young man in front of her. He grabbed her face and held it, causing some pain to her jaw, but he wasn't about to let her go.

"I figured you'd reply that way. I'll ask but once more, and I want you to think on this before you answer. Choosing Goo Jun Pyo means he gets hurt even more. He might even die from his injuries. And I can't guarantee your safety either. Men can be pigs you know, and you are really quite pretty."

Jan Di stopped trying to escape from his grasp as her eyes widened at the implications.

"But if you choose me and promise you'll never go near him again, you won't have to see him get hurt. I'll even let him go free. I'll give you some money for your family, get you a job…and all you have to do is choose me. That's all Jan Di. I'm sure my hyung would love to see you again."

Eyes lowered as Jan Di thought over the possibilities. She glanced at the bloodied form of Goo Jun Pyo. He was barely able to move and was only just holding onto consciousness. Dark eyes pleaded for to choose him, but could she? Could she really risk his life when she might be able to save him instead?

"Tick tock Jan Di. Time to choose. One is life, the other is death. Which will you grasp?"

She closed her eyes and sighed in resigned subservience. "Jae Ha. I choose you, Jae Ha."

The words burned in her throat and tears blurred her sight when she saw Jun Pyo stare at her, eyes desperate and hurt.

"And your promise?"

Tears choked her voice and made it difficult to speak, but she did. "I promise that I will never again be romantically attached to Goo Jun Pyo and will avoid him at all costs in the future. I have chosen Lee Jae Ha over Goo Jun Pyo and will not go back on my choice."

"Good. Put that in an envelope and send it off to our benefactor. Clean up here, I want no traces found."

Jan Di looked up at the sound of people moving around. One guy held a video camera and had obviously recorded everything. The others were moving deserted furniture to previous spots.

Her thoughts were cut off as her bonds were cut and she was hauled upright. Jae Ha took hold of her arm, rather tightly, and began to lead her away from the warehouse.

"People will have started to track him by now. Move him. I don't care where so long as you aren't found. Do what you want with him."

Jan Di picked up her struggle as she screamed at that last instruction.

"No! You said you'd let him go! You liar! Nooooo! Jun Pyo~!"

While her spinning kicks were amazing, her punches weren't nearly as strong. And Jae Ha, who was prepared to defend against them, already had one arm in a hold. It was easy for him to grab the one flailing about and pin both arms to her side before hauling her off.

"True, but I didn't say when and I didn't say where. I just said you wouldn't see him get hurt anymore. And none of what I said was a lie. You won't see him being hurt. We're going back to my place, and they are going somewhere else. You can't see anything. I will let him go free, after I exact some revenge for my brother."

She screamed in frustration and anger. "You already got that! What was the point of beating him before if not revenge?"

He chuckled. She wasn't sure she liked the sound. It was distinctly darker than the kind she had shared with him at school.

"That? That wasn't revenge. You don't honestly think he would quietly give you up without any incentive, do you? No, that was for his mother."

"His mother…?" Jan Di was confused by his answer and momentarily paused in her struggles.

He nodded absently, "She had to have some way of knowing that you two had been separated, hence why one of my guys had a video recorder. I couldn't just have him come to save you and then demand he gives you up. She wouldn't believe it even if he had agreed. So we use brute force to break his will and threaten his life if he doesn't give you up; his mother will understand that.

"Now that you've given up on him and given your word to never see him again, she should be satisfied, I'll get my money and share it with you. This, right now, is when I exact my revenge for Min Ha hyung."

Abruptly, he shoved her into a car and told the driver to take her to his apartment. A malicious smile crossed his face as he turned back to the building, a phone against his ear to find out where they had gone.

Jan Di fought to open the locked door, even a window would do! But she was trapped until the car reached its destination. A final, desperate parting glance showed Ji Hoo sunbae, Woo bin sunbae and Yi Jung sunbae arriving in several cars and running into the empty warehouse.

She screamed herself hoarse to get their attention, no one was in there, they had taken him somewhere else, she was right there, being driven away! Help her! Save her….

**.x.**

AN: As I was watching this for the second time, Jae Ha's words "I even thought I could forget revenge had you chosen me" (paraphrased) reminded me of The Phantom of the Opera's (book version) choice for Christine. She could marry him or he would kill everyone. She represented her choice by turning either a scorpion figure (yes) or a grasshopper figure (no). And thus, this was born. It is finished, please don't add for story alerts, there won't be any more :p But let me know what you thought!

AM


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